


Working Through it

by jemejem



Series: Andreil Week 2k19 [5]
Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Cats, M/M, day five of andreil week bby woohooo, i also included the other prompts which were paper cranes and cartoons but only if you squint, its the cat ficccccc, they get cats but its not rlly them having cats its andrew deciding to have cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 07:45:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 671
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19763710
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jemejem/pseuds/jemejem
Summary: Andrew deliberates upon getting cats. Neil acts like a cat enough as it is, really.





	Working Through it

Neil sat on Andrew’s feet as they watched Saturday morning cartoons. It was something small that they liked to do together: They’d already been up for a run, had breakfast and showered, before getting into comfortable clothes. It was the off-season, and they’d agreed that Saturdays would be their complete day off. There was always non-compulsory practise, which Neil went to every Sunday, sometimes convincing Andrew to come along, but Saturday was theirs. 

Andrew wriggled his toes: They were still pretty cold, and he was mildly bored. Something that Neil could fix. 

Neil rose up an eyebrow. “Hey.” His fingers paused. He’d learned origami for the hell of it, and whilst he was pretty shit, he seemed to like paper cranes out of the banking slips the Moriyamas sent him. 

“Hey yourself.” Andrew said. “Yes or no?”

Neil rose up his other eyebrow with a small smile, finishing the paper crane without looking. “Yes.”

“Get dressed.” Andrew took his feet out from under Neil’s thigh and moved to the door to pull on his coat. Usually a yes or no was followed by getting undressed. The change in routine peaked Neil’s interest. 

Andrew had called Bee about this niggling feeling almost a month ago. Today, he’d made up his mind. 

_“Are you alright, Andrew? You seem very reserved today.”_

_Bee had to be joking: Andrew was the goddamned definition of reserved. He shook his head, rubbing his eyes. “I’m fine. I think. Just on the fence about something.”_

_Bee settled into wherever she was sitting. “Well? I have some time.”_

_Andrew sighed. “I want to foster children. It seems ridiculous that I spend my time resenting the system when I could be working to make it better.”_

_“That’s very progressive, Andrew.” Bee praised. “I think it would help you find peace within yourself. What’s the problem?”_

_“I’ve barely got the hang of looking after myself. How the fuck am I meant to look after another living thing?”_

_Bee hummed. “What about a pet?”_

_Andrew paused._

_“Look after a pet, something low maintenance since your occupation takes both you and Neil travelling a lot. See how you feel. That’s how many seg-way into children nowadays.”_

Andrew drove. Neil hummed quietly, seemingly pleased by the aspect of surprise. When the car pulled into an animal shelter, he looked at Andrew. “‘Drew?”

“C’mon.” 

Inside was an attending waiting to greet them: Andrew had called this morning in preparation. “Hello! Are you the Jostens?”

Neil flushed. Andrew had never referred to himself as Andrew Josten so blatantly before. He kept his face blank. 

“That’s us.” He said. “Can you show us through, please?” 

Neil held on to his sleeve. “Andrew,” He murmured. “Not that I don’t like surprises, but _what the fuck._ ” 

Andrew shushed him as they were brought to a closed door. The attendant smiled widely and opened it wide. 

Within was a chorus of needy cats. Neil rushed into the room and fell to his knees, immediately shrouded in paws, claws and tails. White, calico, black, grey and ginger slunk around him with needy meows. 

Neil’s smile was blinding. He pet every one of them at once, whilst failing to pet any of them, and they clawed at his jacket and trousers for his attention. 

“Are we getting one?” Neil said hopefully, looking up at him. “Can we?”

Andrew eyed a black cat curled into a wary ball in the corner, at the highest vantage point of the room. It eyed Andrew with trepidation, and Andrew made up his mind. 

He could see him and Neil, crouching in front of their travel crate, coercing the cats out into the living room. It’d be slow, but he could see Cat 1 playing at the paper cranes Neil hung off a string as a make-shift toy, whilst Cat 2 still didn’t trust either of them, but. Andrew saw Cat 2’s gradual acceptance of treats off the floor and then from his palm. It’d be a microcosm of Neil and Andrew themselves.

“Two.” He said. “C’mon.”

**Author's Note:**

> i luv cats
> 
> also srry its super short


End file.
